Smells of rum, vanilla, and orange peel. The taste is sweet and citrusy with flavors of toffee, caramel, vanilla, and orange peel. The finish is long and has a surprisingly high amount of burn, finishing into notes of oak, orange peel, burnt caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla. Overall, it’s nowhere near as smooth as the regular Ocho or the Sherry Cask version, and the orange notes are very one dimensional, just adding a touch of bitter orange peel to all aspects of the rum. Not necessarily bad, and I’m sure it will mix well, but not something I would sip on by itself.
In honor of the orange notes, I first tried a rum margarita and the result is indeed orange forward and quite smooth, with a subtle oak and citrus complexity in the finish.
A daquiri is smooth and complex with rum and lime up front and notes of orange and oak in the finish. Similar but more subtle than the margarita.
A rum Manhattan is complex, oaky, bitter, and smooth with notes of cherry and currants up front transitioning into oak and orange peel and bitters in the finish.
A rum Old Fashioned is spiced rum and cherries up front; oak, bitters, and a subtle hints of orange in the finish. Overall balanced and complex but with a bit of bite from the alcohol.